


Missing

by decaf_kitty



Category: Naruto
Genre: Comfort Sex, Falling In Love, Forehead Kisses, French Kissing, Hurt/Comfort, Injury Recovery, M/M, Neck Kissing, Ninken | Ninja Dogs, Platonic Cuddling, Sexual Tension, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-13
Updated: 2019-09-18
Packaged: 2020-10-17 23:54:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20629643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/decaf_kitty/pseuds/decaf_kitty
Summary: Kakashi discovers his ninken sneak off to be spoiled by Iruka...Naturally he wants to be pampered, too.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a simple one... something soft.
> 
> I hope you enjoy.
> 
> ____

Pakkun went missing.

It was peculiar, not seeing the ninken around his flat, but Kakashi’s days were full of missions, and Pakkun never failed to arrive with the rest of the pack when summoned outside the village. The other dogs acted as they always did; they didn’t seem surprised by Pakkun’s absences. Since they felt comfortable with whatever was going on, Kakashi simply let it go, too. He had other things to stress about, such as Naruto’s boisterous demands for advice, Gai’s constant challenges, and the endless array of missions the Lady Hokage sent him out to complete. 

Whenever he came home, Kakashi met his hounds, counted one less than usual, and shrugged.

So Pakkun was somewhere else during leisure hours. He was probably doing something enjoyable. Good for him.

The same wasn’t true for Kakashi: he cooked alone, read alone, and slept alone, always in his quiet dismal apartment. Admittedly, he had fun participating in the hijinks of genin and chūnin; he even looked forward to Gai’s spontaneous declarations of eternal rivalry. 

However, he was tired, very tired. 

There was no relief for that.

Neither sleep - nor shelter - nor good food - nor strong drink changed anything. 

Other shinobi leaned on their loved ones when overburdened by work. They slunk home to Mom and Dad, to older and younger siblings, to spouses and children. They lost themselves in the mundane and minutiae of life. They sat around the dinner table on cushions, sipping sake, smiling over rice and salmon, forgetting the irritations and horrors of missions. There were books to read to children before bedtime; there were vegetable gardens to water for a lover. 

Not for Kakashi. 

He’d lost his father, his sensei, his teammates.

He didn’t have much of anyone anymore.

Well, not like that. 

Not someone to lean on.

He looked at the spot where Pakkun normally sat. The little pug-lookalike loved the last rays of sunlight, frequently taking up prime property by the largest window in the flat. Without his authority ruling the roost, Bull now barreled over to the spot and plopped down. The other six ninken fell every which way across the living room, filling the space with their bodies and canine scent. Urushi, Shiba, and Ūhei competed for the best positions all around Kakashi. 

He should have felt comforted by the rest of his ninken, but…

But truthfully, he wondered where Pakkun was.

“Bull,” Kakashi said suddenly, dropping his romance novel to his lap. Across the room, the large dark hound lifted his head and looked at him expectantly. “Can you track Pakkun?”

The other ninken wanted to come with, but Kakashi shook his head, refusing their excited pleas. They moped for a bit, but ultimately all stayed behind, several happily piling on the seat cushion still warm from his body heat. He locked up the house and let Bull do his thing: the summon sniffed the air, slow and steady, before striding off further into town. Even though Kakashi was actively hunting down his own hound, he made sure to stay side-by-side with Bull, hiding from civilians and shinobi alike that something was amiss. 

If anything, he and Bull looked like they were enjoying a pleasant walk during sunset. 

But he was bone-tired – and privately more than a little worried about his lost dog.

Kakashi was surprised when Bull hauled himself up a tree by a residential complex. He followed more easily, quite curious as to the intentions of his ninken. After tracking Bull’s pointed gaze into the apartment, he discovered something fascinating… and unbelievably confusing.

This was Iruka Umino’s flat. 

Naruto’s pre-genin sensei. 

A chūnin-rank shinobi. 

And there was Pakkun.

Asleep in Iruka’s lap and snoring loudly.

The man himself sat at a low-lying dinner table as he graded student papers. However, Iruka was only using his right hand in his menial task – because his other hand was busy petting Pakkun.

As Kakashi watched with increasing bafflement, Iruka slowed down and scratched around the openings of Pakkun’s dark-blue vest. Taking his time, he would lift the ninken’s legs, one by one, and gently massage the dog’s joints. When Pakkun occasionally grumbled in response, Iruka would halfway-hide an amused smile and continue grading for a while.

But he’d go back to pampering the ninken not too long afterwards.

Kakashi was dumbfounded: he’d never in his life considered anyone touching his summons when he wasn’t around… especially not in this way, either.

Yet Iruka was doing it freely. The chūnin-sensei was even so bold as to loosen Pakkun’s hitai-ate to scratch underneath the headband! 

As Kakashi leaned forward, unable to comprehend what he was seeing, his ninken shifted to lay belly-up. Pakkun deliberately showed the bottom of all four paws. The pinks of his pads were on full display – something the small hound did not do lightly with anyone – it was a sign of vulnerability, a playful treat and reward.

With his keen hearing, Kakashi could make out what his summon then declared in a low, gruff whine.

“I’m hungry.”

Iruka stopped grading and looked down at the ninken in his lap.

“Aw, Pakkun. Let me get you something.”

Only reflex saved Kakashi from falling out of the tree.

He wanted to burst into Iruka’s apartment, steal back his dog, and scold both of them for the weird traitorous relationship they had started behind his back. 

He found he couldn’t look over at Bull. The large ninken seemed remarkably interested in what was unfolding before them; he didn’t seem to notice how Kakashi was losing his very mind.

An unusual feeling was bubbling to the surface.

Kakashi recognized it, but he didn’t understand it.

_… jealousy?_

He gestured to Bull that they were leaving. They walked back to his flat in silence. The other ninken went to ask about their missing companion – but saw Kakashi’s expertly blank expression as well as the stiffness in his shoulders and thought better of it. 

He went to bed alone. The dogs stayed together in the other room.

Pakkun did not come home.

That night, Kakashi dreamed of Iruka petting his hair.


	2. Chapter 2

Pakkun performed well on the mission. He led the pack, as always. He acted like he wasn’t cheating on Kakashi, like he wasn’t seeking praise elsewhere. The other hounds treated him the same as ever, though Bull did seem marginally more attentive towards his fellow summon.

The mission included more acrobatics than expected: Kakashi felt miserably old as he touched his sore shoulder. The possibility of chakra exhaustion plagued him once again. Fatigue seemed as close a companion as his eight ninken.

No… wait… six ninken. 

Kakashi accidentally used more force than necessary as he tossed his book aside. The diverse crew of hounds startled at the action, looking from the discarded novel to their chosen shinobi. 

“Where is Bull?” he asked the remaining ninken. It took Kakashi a moment to recognize he sounded annoyed and angry, but the damage was already done. The other summons shied away from his gaze and didn’t respond to him. The six dogs fidgeted with their mission-worn paws and curled their tails in shows of deference but also in conflicted allegiance.

Their silence didn’t make a difference. Kakashi already knew the answer.

He walked alone to Iruka Umino’s flat.

Kakashi recaptured his space in the tree and spied on his disloyal dogs.

_Both of them._

Pakkun was in what was apparently his regular spot: Iruka’s lap. However, the new addition was Bull, his body utterly massive and taking up much of Iruka’s small living room. Yet the ninken was peaceful as he laid beside the low-lying table, almost the same size as the furniture. Seemingly at home, Bull had fallen asleep, the deep dark folds of his face set and at rest.

In contrast, Pakkun was currently holding up his right front paw and shaking it pitifully at the chūnin-sensei. The hound’s expression was dull and depressed to the point of exaggeration. 

Everything changed for Kakashi when he overheard Pakkun’s sorrowful announcement.

“I hurt myself on the mission. I need cuddles, youngster.”

Kakashi was standing inside Iruka’s living room less than a second later. 

Staring hard at his smallest ninken, Kakashi declared, flat and disapproving, “He’s faking it for attention.”

Down by his sandals, Bull jerked awake, looked in alarm up at Kakashi, and evaporated instantly, returning home.

Pakkun saw Kakashi – sighed loudly – grumbled, “You’re no fun at all” – and then he, too, disappeared, leaving Iruka’s lap empty.

Stricken by surprise, Iruka was gawking at Kakashi, his mouth wide open. The chūnin-sensei was holding his pen perfectly still above the paper he was grading. His other fingers were outstretched and motionless, stopped short of handling Pakkun’s now-vanished paw. 

_Hmmm. I did not think this through._

Kakashi consciously settled into a more casual pose. Slipping his hands into his pockets, he glanced towards the window he’d basically flown through. “The mission wasn’t that bad, he was lying to you,” he found himself muttering, poorly attempting to explain why he had invaded Iruka’s privacy.

Out of the corner of his good eye, he could see Iruka’s expression soften in understanding. At the same time, the man lowered his pen to the table and leaned backward, relaxing some. 

Giving him a cheeky smile, the chūnin-sensei replied, “I already knew that.”

Kakashi shifted his single-eyed gaze back to Iruka, filling up with new confusion. 

“Then why did you –”

“Because he needed – what did you call it?” Iruka waved his Pakkun-petting hand in the air as he tried to come up with the right word. When he finally remembered Kakashi’s phrasing, he emphasized it. “_Attention._ Everyone deserves attention when they’re feeling low.”

Kakashi only noticed he’d turned his head and was outright staring at Iruka – when - 

The chūnin-sensei patted the spot beside him and asked sincerely, “Do you want to sit?”

He certainly did not. He only wanted his ninken to stay loyal. He wanted their company alone.

There was no reason for –

_Why did I just sit down._

Everything began to move too quickly, too easily.

Iruka seemed to spontaneously produce a volume of Slice of Life themed manga; he handed it over to Kakashi with a heartfelt smile. Feeling cowed by Iruka acting so cool, Kakashi took the graphic novel and automatically flipped to the first page. As he started reading the opening panels, he realized that Iruka had resumed grading without needing or providing any further commentary.

Minutes passed. 

So. 

Many. 

Confusing. 

Minutes.

Kakashi’s stomach seized. He felt his fingers tremble. His vision blurred just a bit.

_… am I nervous?_

_Why would I be?_

Serene in his silence, Iruka moved his bare foot closer to Kakashi’s sandaled one. Their legs were almost touching, hidden away from sight underneath the table. The unseen near-contact was truly something in itself: they had never been this close this long in a private setting. 

While Kakashi tried to read the manga – he was definitely pretending to do so, having already faked going through the first three dozen pages – unreasonable anxiety ate away at him.

_What in the world are we doing. What is this._

Iruka gave him no answers. 

He just continued about his day, as if having Kakashi Hatake, the Copy Nin, Master of a Thousand Jutsus – Kakashi the Friend Killer - Kakashi of the Sharingan – as if having _him_ over for an evening hang-out, the two of them behaving like they often quietly enjoyed life together – as if that were normal, as if that was something typical and understandable.

Still seriously considering his student papers, Iruka scrunched up his legs as he tried to find a more comfortable position. He sighed in frustration, obviously not liking what he was reading. 

Just as Kakashi shot a glance over at the offensive report –

With unfathomable ease, Iruka’s right leg slipped on top of Kakashi’s. His bare ankle came to rest against Kakashi’s bandaged shin. The chūnin-sensei seemed to be completely nonchalant as he continued to shift around, struggling to locate the best possible position to grade in. 

Unbeknownst to Iruka, Kakashi’s single-eyed gaze hadn’t made it to the student paper; he was staring vacantly at the far wall as he considered the terribly alien nature of their legs touching. 

The last person to touch his ankle had been an enemy nin. She’d done so just this morning.

He’d killed her.

Messily.

_I should leave._

But then –

Without saying a word, Iruka leaned full-body against him, pressing their shoulders together. The chūnin-sensei sighed again, this time sounding like he was turning over into darker aggravation. Unable to stop himself, unable to understand what was happening, Kakashi looked over at Iruka using his revealed right eye, and –

The other man met his gaze.

Kakashi’s heart went _thump_.

_Thump…? What?_

“These kids are killing me,” Iruka complained with surprisingly brutal honesty. “I need a break.”

Kakashi could only nod in response.

The other man considered him for a moment and then asked, “Do your shoulders hurt? You’re holding them differently than you usually do.”

For a full second, Kakashi started to eye-smile and shrug away the concern.

But Iruka’s leg felt mysteriously warm against his own, so much so that his bandages seemed to be melting away like candle wax warming under a flame.

“I think I pulled a muscle,” he admitted in a low voice. 

Iruka perked significantly at the confession. He dropped the paper and his pen. Then the chūnin-sensei adjusted even further until, while their legs were no longer touching, they were suddenly nearly chest-to-chest, even with Kakashi still sitting straight ahead. 

As he watched Iruka stretch out his own shoulder and arm muscles, having grown tense from grading, Kakashi was trying to understand what was _now_ happening between them.

Things were moving fast.

Faster than Kakashi could easily comprehend.

How was Iruka not worried about such sudden familiarity? 

Why wasn’t he guarding his sensitive spots – both the physical and emotional ones? Didn’t he know that Kakashi could hurt him in a thousand different ways? Did he actually trust Kakashi? Why would he? 

_… should I trust him, too?_

It suddenly occurred to Kakashi:

_Is this how it happened? Pakkun didn’t look for attention but instead… Iruka pursued **him**?_

With impressive soundlessness, Iruka slid his hand over Kakashi’s sore shoulder. He had to lean over Kakashi to get the angle correct, which didn’t seem very comfortable, but the man didn’t complain, not even once. Instead Iruka was careful and calm, searching for the worst part of the injury. Of course, Kakashi was an abnormal patient, and usually he’d keep his expression trained to nothingness while undergoing anything remotely resembling medical scrutiny, but… well…

“That’s it, right there,” he disclosed when Iruka drew over the most tender area. 

The chūnin-sensei ceased his movements and then slowly – very slowly – saturated the aggrieved muscle with crisp healing chakra.

The relief was immediate. Kakashi’s shoulders slumped down in unison. He blinked his one eye in surprise; he hadn’t appreciated the amount of tension wracking his frame. Feeling more than slightly staggered by Iruka’s intuition, Kakashi wasn’t sure what he should or even could say in the aftermath. He was bewildered by Iruka’s casual intimacy. He simply didn’t understand it.

He looked up at Iruka as the other man started to pull away.

“Thank you,” Kakashi forced himself to say.

With mind-blowing ease, Iruka lifted up slightly and kissed the metal panel of Kakashi’s headband, the very center of it, the innermost curl of the Hidden Leaf symbol. 

As Kakashi stared at him, stuck in place, unmoving, not breathing –

Iruka sat back down beside him and started to grade again as if nothing unusual had occurred.

And Kakashi’s heart went _thump, thump, thump_, absolutely deafening him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all your kind comments, kudos, bookmarks, and subscriptions.
> 
> You are absolutely lovely, and I hope you know that.
> 
> ___

Pakkun’s shout was the last thing he heard.

Kakashi’s next thought was that the hospital ceiling needed cleaning. His body hurt more than normal; he had used too much chakra. An experimental attempt to move revealed exactly where he’d been injured: his lower right abdomen. While the area wasn’t crying aloud with pain, he could tell the wound had been a bad one. The memory was fuzzy, but in his mind’s eye he could see a flash of metal piercing his side.

_Did I down the target? Was the mission successful?_

He sulked bitterly as he realized he couldn’t move. That was unfortunate. Growing irritated, Kakashi faced the fact he would have to wait for the Lady Hokage to learn about the operation’s status. Thankfully, this latest S-ranked mission had just been him and the ninken. 

There were no worries about dead ninja – except those on the other side. 

Since medical-nin had cut off his shirt to treat the wound, he was now wearing standard hospital attire. The pale blue robe didn’t suit him, but he had no choice in the matter. As usual, some unknown savior had covered his face with a medical mask, normally intended to protect health-compromised patients and not the identities of self-conscious jōnin. His hitai-ate hung in place over his Sharingan, the headband a heavy reminder of his possible failure.

Kakashi glanced toward the window, curious as to what time of day it was.

He stiffened when he saw he wasn’t alone in the hospital room.

_Iruka Umino?_

_Why is he…?_

The chūnin-sensei was asleep, tilted back in the chair, his mouth ever so slightly open. His legs were sprawled in front of him. Before passing out, he’d crossed his arms tightly over his chest. 

It was such an odd sight to behold that it caused Kakashi to act oddly, too.

“Iruka?” he inquired like he didn’t believe his own eye.

In response, the other man awoke as a lazy cat might: he stretched all of his arms and legs at the same time and made a disgruntled sound of grogginess deep in his chest. Seemingly unaware of where he’d been resting, Iruka rubbed at his scarred face, scratching the sunken tissue for several long drawn-out moments. He flexed open his eyes and –

Kakashi looked towards the door.

But no one was there. It continued to stay shut.

He turned back to Iruka, confused by the elation overcoming the chūnin-sensei’s face.

… he had thought Naruto must have been nearby based on Iruka’s happily relieved expression.

“Kakashi-sensei!” Iruka exclaimed, standing up and coming closer to the hospital bed. The other man was straining to see Kakashi’s form buried beneath the bedsheets as he asked in concern, “How are you feeling? Does anything hurt?”

It might have been the chakra exhaustion – or the low-level pain buzzing everywhere – but Kakashi was only able to stare up at Iruka with a half-lidded eye, incredulous beyond belief.

When Iruka continued to examine him, his fretfulness visibly escalating, Kakashi managed to get out, “I’m fine. Nothing hurts.”

The chūnin-sensei did not believe that, not in the slightest. His disapproval became particularly obvious as Iruka put his hands on his hips and gave Kakashi a truly sassy, scolding look. 

“_Nothing hurts_, huh?”

“Not a thing.”

Far inside himself, Kakashi felt frantic: _Please just leave. This is weirdly embarrassing._

Iruka did not obey the unspoken request. In contrast, the other man stepped closer, his knees hitting the edge of the bed. As he leaned forward and hovered over Kakashi, Iruka dropped one hand to the distant side of the mattress across Kakashi’s prone body, holding himself in place. 

Then he said in a measured, accusatory way, “I think you’re in so much pain that you can’t move - and that all of your chakra’s gone, too.”

Kakashi barely heard him.

_… His face is so close._

He wanted to blame his injury – or whatever the medical-nin had done to him – but, no matter what it was, Kakashi could feel his face becoming increasingly heated. Just as alarmingly, butterflies seemed to be floating about his insides, the tips of their wings fluttering against his heart. Out of nowhere, he remembered last week when Iruka had kissed his hitai-ate during their makeshift evening meeting, the action appearing equally careful and careless at once.

“Tell the truth, Kakashi-sensei,” Iruka demanded, sounding like he was rebuking a defiant student.

Stubborn pride combined with crazy embarrassment, so Kakashi chose to lie. 

“I’m fine.”

Disappointment darkened Iruka’s scarred face; he shook his head once, twice. 

And then –

The chūnin-sensei dropped his whole body down, swift enough that Kakashi’s shinobi instincts signaled that he was under attack. But it didn’t matter – not at all – because he honestly couldn’t move anything – nothing more than a brief agony-inducing tensing of his muscles.

So Kakashi could only watch as Iruka brought their faces close together.

He could smell black tea and ramen on the other man’s lips. 

He stopped breathing again.

_Iruka’s scar is much deeper than mine._

_… I like it._

Then Iruka tilted his head and lowered down to Kakashi’s bare throat.

There he kissed so softly it felt like a brush of silk against Kakashi’s fever-numb skin.

Kakashi took a tiny intake of breath. His chest jumped under the bedsheets as if his heart had punched his ribs. His feet extended out of his control, seeking something stable to stand on.

Kakashi was helplessly blushing when Iruka leaned back some and addressed him in a quiet, worried tone, “You don’t have to pretend with me.”

Something about Iruka’s dark eyes, how they looked a little watery, the way they weakly creased at the edges -

“…. Did I fail the mission?” Kakashi asked, his voice nearly a whisper. 

Iruka’s hand drifted upward. The movement was purposefully slow, a contrast to Iruka’s earlier offensive action. The chūnin-sensei’s fingers were callused from weaponry training; they ran across the line of Kakashi’s medical mask like they belonged there. 

Kakashi’s heart hurt… The touch was too soft, too sweet. 

It only meant one thing.

With sympathy overwhelming his scarred expression, Iruka answered simply:

“Yes. She got away.”

_Damn it._

Wincing to himself, Kakashi tried to murmur, “Ah… I see,” but instead he frowned under his mask, saying nothing. He couldn’t meet Iruka’s gaze, even though they were only inches apart. 

How could he? 

He’d botched a mission, lost the target, gotten injured, blown his chakra reserves, and passed out beyond the village walls. Sure, he’d known he needed a break, but the Lady Hokage had every right to task him with consecutive S-ranked missions. After all, Konoha only had so many jōnin available.

“Stay at my place.”

Kakashi glanced up at the other man.

Iruka took the opportunity to drop his hand to Kakashi’s shoulder, the one he’d previously healed. The chūnin-sensei gave him an unexpectedly reassuring smile as he stroked Kakashi’s clothed arm. It was a lot like how he’d petted the _henohenomoheji_ design on the back of Pakkun’s vest, consoling the ninken after a long mission, giving the hound precious attention.__

_ _“I can help you while you recover,” Iruka proposed. Then, squeezing Kakashi’s barely-covered bicep, he added teasingly but also with a bit of concern, “I know you hate hospitals.”_ _

_ _Kakashi thought about Pakkun lifting up his paw, looking pathetic, openly asking for cuddles. _ _

_ _In contrast, he wanted to withdraw into the bedsheets and hide away until the end of time. _ _

_ _But then again…_ _

_ _After not getting any sort of response, Iruka flushed in embarrassment and started to pull away. _ _

_ _Kakashi used every last bit of strength left within him to catch hold of the chūnin-sensei’s sleeve._ _

_ _He said softly, gazing into the man’s wide surprised eyes, _ _

_ _“I’m in your care, Iruka.”_ _


	4. Chapter 4

Pakkun was laying on his lap… Kakashi could tell by the weight and heat of his ninken.

Rousing from a deep dreamless sleep, Kakashi opened his right eye and assessed his surroundings. Although his vision was blurry, he speedily identified the space: this was Iruka Umino’s bedroom, where he’d been maneuvered hours earlier. Now he and his eight ninken were occupying almost every inch of it. With Pakkun sleeping soundly on his stomach, Kakashi could see – and count – the other seven summons spread across the small room.

Iruka was on the floor beside by the bed, his scarred face smushed into Bull’s enormous flank. With his dark hair undone and his choice of attire being loose sleeping clothes, the other man looked more civilian than shinobi, seemingly clueless and defenseless. Iruka was far down into the recesses of sleep, his chest moving regularly, his mouth slightly open. Up against the chūnin-sensei’s torso was Bisuke, the two-colored hound curling up into a near-perfect ball. 

_That makes three._

Kakashi surveyed the bedroom and reluctantly admitted…

_It’s really all of them now._

Although he’d captured Pakkun’s heart once again, the rest of the ninken were unabashedly oriented towards Iruka Umino. Their bodies were outstretched, their noses angled just so, as they collectively reached for the sleeping chūnin-sensei. 

They were clearly all very tired… just like Kakashi.

The realization that his ninken were also exhausted struck Kakashi hard: he sat up to study the hounds better. As he did, he accidentally woke up the summon resting on him. At just that moment, he noticed where Pakkun was - positioned over the wound Kakashi had received on the mission. The ninken was directly atop the healing tissue as if protecting the spot. Kakashi’s surprise mingled with new gratitude as Pakkun stirred awake and turned his grumpy gaze up to his shinobi. 

“Are you feeling better, Kakashi?” the old-man dog asked, keeping his voice down.

Not wanting to wake anyone, Kakashi only nodded back at him. 

Pakkun was impressively gentle as he climbed off Kakashi and sat beside him. The hound followed Kakashi’s gaze around the room. Very quickly, they both stopped to consider Iruka, down below on the floor, looking comatose while snuggling with Bull.

“He’s always sleeping alone.”

_Way too much information, Pakkun!_

Deciding to go relieve himself, both physically and from the uncomfortable situation, Kakashi tested his ability to stand up and walk over to Iruka’s bathroom. Finding himself successful, he remembered the layout of the apartment just enough to get by. In the darkness of the night, there were only soft snoring sounds from the seven dogs and the occasional chirp of a cricket outside. After all he had been through recently, he didn’t dare look in the mirror.

When Kakashi suddenly slumped against the bedroom doorframe, he realized he’d pushed himself to do too much too soon.

His pained exhale caused everyone in the apartment to wake up at once.

His eight ninken stayed in place, but their eyes all anxiously trained on him.

It was Iruka who rescued Kakashi. The other man appeared before him disheveled, his hair mussed, and his clothing disordered. His attentive eyes swept over Kakashi’s body, confirming nothing new had gone wrong. After giving him a truly serious inspection, Iruka turned around and dipped down, silently signaling for Kakashi to hop on. 

It was either childish horseplay or an admission of weakness.

_Like I would do such a thing._

The next thing he knew, he was draped over Iruka’s back, his masked face shoved into Iruka’s messy hair.

_Okay... so… that just happened._

_Hmmm._

Iruka smelled of sweat and dirt; Kakashi wondered when the man had last bathed. Even with his diminished senses during recovery, he recognized the chūnin-sensei’s movements were slower than usual. On top of that, he could practically feel Iruka’s full-body fatigue as the other man helped him across the bedroom. 

_So he’s tired, too._

He was rather surprised when Iruka didn’t delicately sit him down on the mattress – but instead –

They stumbled into bed together.

Instantly Pakkun spoke right next to Kakashi’s unclothed ear in a conspicuously curt manner, “Hey, we’re heading out.” 

Before either he or Iruka could say a thing, all eight of the ninken vanished simultaneously.

When Kakashi turned his head to see the other shinobi, he found Iruka unable to look at him. They were entangled, their legs twisted about each other. Trying to shift about, Kakashi realized his right hand had gotten caught under Iruka during the fall. He was now bare-skin touching the middle of the man’s chest… Iruka’s pajama shirt had ridden far upward. A tentative stretch of his fingers confirmed what he guessed: he was feeling the defined lines of Iruka’s ribs.

He did not expect Iruka to start squirming and snatch at his wrist, yanking his hand free. 

When Kakashi glanced at him curiously, the chūnin-sensei made a reproachful face in response and explained, sounding bothered, “You were tickling me.”

Unexpected irritation surged through Kakashi like electrical energy. Startling the other man considerably, Kakashi bowed over Iruka, firmly trapping him against the mattress. He demanded in a tense, displeased tone, “So you can kiss me when you want - but I can’t touch you?”

In a stunning turn of events, Iruka blushed bright red, immediately appearing as if he’d fallen down a staircase in front of the entire village. With his hitai-ate in place over his Sharingan, Kakashi watched Iruka concentrate on his good eye, seemingly unable to look anywhere else. 

As several minutes passed, Kakashi just stared down at the chūnin-sensei, his mask and headband concealing much of his exasperated expression. He wouldn’t fail at this new endeavor after his humiliating defeat yesterday. It might have been unfair to direct so much intensity at Iruka, but Kakashi was fed up with the other man’s mysterious casual intimacy.

For all his strength in the classroom and at the mission desk, Iruka could not handle such severe pressure. He broke in a tremendous way – by asking in an incredibly small, mouse-like voice – “You want to touch me?”

_… Why, yes, yes I do._

Down went his mask. Kakashi savored the half-second when Iruka’s eyes widened upon seeing his face for the first time, but he had better things to do. 

No. 

_They_ had better things to do.

Even as his sore muscles rejected such movement, his heart and mind made it work perfectly.

Their first kiss was innocent – simply lips pressing against lips – but Iruka escalated the situation by seizing the front of Kakashi’s shirt with both hands. As his body roared in appreciation at the use of force, Kakashi kissed Iruka several more times in a row and then, unable to stop himself, grabbed the back of the other man’s head. He was holding the flustered chūnin-sensei in place as he deepened their kiss and slipped his tongue along Iruka’s in a long, loving caress. 

It was far too rewarding how Iruka squirmed underneath him and brought their hips together. Kakashi ignored the leftover spectral pain in his abdomen; he instead enjoyed the feel of heat pooling in his groin and the way warm friction brought him to full arousal. He remained in charge of their kiss, insistent in his interest of the other man, making sure Iruka knew _yes, I want to touch you - yes, I want to kiss you._

Apparently, the whole thing was too much for poor dear Iruka Umino. The chūnin-sensei desperately gasped the first time Kakashi gave him even the slightest chance. At the exact same time, his hands flattened out on Kakashi’s chest, keeping them momentarily apart. 

When Kakashi drew back a bit, he witnessed the fearfully enchanting sight of Iruka spread out underneath him in bed. 

Scarred cheeks heavily blushing. 

Dark eyes lustfully half-lidden. 

Lips wet and kiss-swollen. 

Dazed and delirious. 

Kakashi couldn’t help but swallow in response. His heart was pounding painfully in his chest.

He wanted to see more; he wanted to discover other hidden sides of the chūnin-sensei. 

And so he said shamelessly, “Let’s do a little more than kissing,” and drew down his hand from Iruka’s chest all the way to the man’s thighs in one single silken motion.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so very much. You are beautiful and kind.
> 
> I hope you enjoy.
> 
> _____

They were together.

He and Iruka – they were together.

Kakashi was surprised at the relief he felt from kissing the other man. Certainly, he was still tired, and he could tell Iruka was haunted by exhaustion, but they kissed as if full of life. He couldn’t support his weight after a while, but Iruka didn’t seem to mind as they adjusted things. 

They laid side-by-side in the bed, continuing to kiss through the night. 

The chūnin-sensei’s hands roamed everywhere, learning Kakashi like a lesson.

Pleasure hit him as pure lightning when Iruka decided to go for it.

The sight of Iruka between his legs, swallowing down Kakashi’s cock with closed eyes and flushed scarred cheeks – 

_Ah, that’s – that’s too much!_

He didn’t even realize he’d grabbed onto Iruka’s shoulders, urgently stopping him, until the other man looked up at him in confused concern. 

There was a hard panting overtaking the bedroom.

_… oh, it’s me._

Gracelessness defined the next few seconds as Kakashi fumbled with Iruka, bringing the man down on the mattress and forcing his own badly-tortured body back under control. He wouldn’t – he couldn’t – have his before he served Iruka – he had to – he just wanted –

“Oh, _Kakashi_,” Iruka moaned in such an unashamed way that it went straight to Kakashi’s cock, making him so hard it hurt.

“Yes? What do you –” he answered breathlessly, trying to assess Iruka’s expression.

He realized abruptly that Iruka was dreamy and smitten with the sight of Kakashi on his knees as Kakashi stroked the bulge straining the fabric of Iruka’s pants. The chūnin-sensei’s eyes were fixed on Kakashi as if Iruka had never seen anything like it in his whole life. The man’s hands clutched at the bedsheets while his whole body trembled with delightfully obvious want.

_… he always sleeps alone, hmm?_

Resting his head and hitai-ate against Iruka’s still-clothed thigh, Kakashi proposed in a fuzzy-happy near-purr, “Let’s live together.”

Iruka had no immediate response to that. Surprisingly his arousal faded not at all. Instead, he just stared wildly at Kakashi, unable to comprehend the man’s words. After a long silent moment, the chūnin-sensei said, slow and bewildered, “Is this not a one-night stand?”

Kakashi lifted his head, blinking his one eye. “Why would you think that?” he asked, feeling profoundly hurt by the idea.

Flush went the chūnin-sensei’s face! He seemed astonished Kakashi would ask him such a thing. He looked almost as mystified as Kakashi did, trying to understand how they had so radically misunderstood each other. 

_Well, we did rush into this… and, worse, we’re exhausted._

_Maybe he doesn’t want…_

So Kakashi chose to be brave, even if it killed him. He moved to sit beside Iruka, just barely leaned into the man, and then gave him a short, apprehensive look. He further floored Iruka as he wondered aloud, his voice irrepressibly rough, “Do you not want to be with me?”

Iruka looked as thrown as a kunai in battle.

“Why,” Iruka asked in return, drenched in disbelief, “would _you_ want to be with _me_, Kakashi?” 

The instant answer was admittedly not the sweetest.

“I like how you look under me.”

That earned him a very serious scowl – and Kakashi ducked his head, unable to hold back a smile. It felt strange to have his face bare, but he was pleased to see Iruka drink him in again. He might have been embarrassed about his own happily-persistent erection, except that it was apparently rather distracting to Iruka, whose gaze soon again fell between Kakashi’s thighs.

Kakashi could have shunted responsibility onto his injury recovery for his next move.

But he was fully in his right mind as he smoothly took Iruka’s hand in his – and…

\- encircled Iruka’s fingers around his cock, enjoying the shock and thrill of the man’s touch.

Beside him, Iruka’s face flushed harder. His dark eyes dilated even more. He bit his bottom lip. He couldn’t take his eyes off of his hand around Kakashi’s arousal – their hands combined together in shameless sex. He seemed suddenly obsessed with their shared slow up-and-down motion. He was blushingly amazed how Kakashi kept their grips tight, firm, and in just the right way to make his hips start and his cock twitch but not come – no, not yet – not yet -

Pressing up against Iruka, Kakashi panted out, nearly shaking in intentional sweet agony, “I like how you touch me. This is what I’ve been missing. I want to do this with you, just you.”

“Nngh, Kakashi, I –” Iruka got out before he suddenly reached for his own arousal. 

There was a hot sandstorm of activity with Kakashi much closer to the end – but he was a jōnin and irrational and determined – and so he persevered just long enough to see Iruka _shudder_.

Unable to control himself anymore, Kakashi swept atop of the other shinobi, kissing him with enough force to crack the wooden frame of the bed.

Iruka was not someone to be underestimated: he moved his hand to hold them both and mimicked the same motion and intensity Kakashi had been using a moment earlier. It was incredibly perfectly timed, and they came together at nearly the same moment with Kakashi deliriously leading their kiss through blissful shivering and gasped breathing.

It was some time later when Iruka started petting Kakashi’s hair. 

Feeling unimaginably shy, Kakashi traced little scar lines on Iruka’s bare legs. 

They fell asleep at some point and woke up refreshed… and in need of a shower. 

There they kissed some more, enjoying the creation of new visceral memories of skin and sex.

Later, when Iruka shoved Kakashi against the tiled wall, bringing them back together, to full arousal, to almost-ecstasy, it was somehow still unbelievable as the chūnin-sensei commanded him, “You and your ninken, you can move in tonight. But I’m sleeping in the bed with you.”

“I’ll make room,” Kakashi said breathily, loving how his hands felt and looked touching Iruka.

And, wonderfully, Iruka seemed to love touching him, too. 

_Ah, of course… it’s not only attention… _

_It’s love._

Kakashi blushed for a whole new reason and kissed Iruka, now feeling satisfyingly complete. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kakashi, much like his ninken, fell in love fast and hard with Iruka.
> 
> Ah, the beginning of something - a truly sweet time in any relationship.


End file.
